In The News

Al Jazeera: The Lonely Pyramids of Giza and Egyptian Tourism’s Decline

Al Jazeera May 4, 2017
Egypt, reeling from years of political unrest and mounting terrorism, must also deal with a decline in tourism. Before 2011, the country welcomed more than 14 million tourists annually. Then the Arab Spring protests swelled in 2011, deposing Hosni Mubarak, followed by a coup in 2013 that removed President Mohamed Morsi and suspended the constitution. Today, the number of tourists has dropped to...

The Washington Times: Resolving the Afghanistan Crisis

Seyed Hossein Mousavian April 26, 2017
Peace has evaded Afghanistan for decades. The Russians fought in Afghanistan from 1979 until 1989. The brutal Taliban regime, a minority group, took control in the 1990s until the US-led invasion in 2001. Since 2001, the United States and its allies tried to rebuild communities with schools, agriculture projects, road construction, clinics and more. “By early 2017, the situation had deteriorated...

The Guardian: Who Are the New Jihadis?

Olivier Roy April 18, 2017
The contemporary terrorist’s brutal acts against symbolic targets are centered around his or her own death, explains author Olivier Roy in an essay for the Guardian. “Muslim tradition, while it recognises the merits of the martyr who dies in combat, does not prize those who strike out in pursuit of their own deaths, because doing so interferes with God’s will,” he writes. Roy describes jihadism...

Newsweek: How Trump Is Fueling ISIS

Kurt Eichenwald March 6, 2017
Terrorist groups issue propaganda to identify and recruit marginalized citizens of developed nations. The United States is now making such recruiting easy with attempts to ban immigrants from six Muslim-majority nations and interrogating Muslims, even citizens, who enter the United States. “…. counterterrorism experts have understood that countering … propaganda has been among the most essential...

Forbes: Oil and Violence in Niger Delta Have Global Impact

Terry Hallmark February 22, 2017
The Niger Delta Avengers have declared “all-out” war against the Nigerian government and oil interests, continuing a two-decades-long conflict in the Niger Delta. Profitable oil drilling has pitted the Nigerian government and multinational corporations including Shell, ExxonMobil and Chevron against a rotating cast of opponents. Organized opposition surfaced in the 1990s, with protests, civil...

Why Trump’s Policies May Increase Terrorism

Daniel Byman January 31, 2017
An executive order that restricts visa-holders from seven Muslim-majority from entering the United States and blocks refugees temporarily, Syrians indefinitely, threatens security on many levels. Allies in the Middle East will struggle to cooperate with the United States. The order signals a general mistrust for Muslims, holding them to higher standards than those for other citizens. Successful...

Erdogan: “No Doubt” Russian Envoy's Killer Linked to Gulen

December 21, 2016
Russia’s ambassador to Turkey was assassinated in Ankara by a Turkish police officer who referred to retaliation for Russia airstrikes in Aleppo, according to witnesses. Turkey and Russia have taken opposite sides on the civil war in Syria, but relations between the two countries warmed in recent months. Turkey’s president quickly insisted there is “no doubt” the killing was inspired by Muslim...